Tullahoma, Tennessee Building Permit Guide

Inside Tullahoma city limits, building, plumbing and mechanical permits come from the City’s Department of Planning, Codes, and Life Safety in the Annex Building at 321 North Collins Street (931-455-2282). Apply through the online Citizen Portal, by email to permits@tullahomatn.gov or in person; basic residential permits take 3 to 5 business days to process, and the fee follows a valuation table starting at $30, plus a plan review fee of half the permit fee.

What requires a permit in Tullahoma?

The City’s Permit Required Checklist sorts common jobs into permit and no-permit lists, and asks you to call ahead when in doubt.

Who issues building permits in Tullahoma?

The Department of Planning, Codes, and Life Safety handles building inspections, code administration and permits, and oversees residential and commercial construction through on-site inspections up to the certificate of occupancy. Nick Kimbro, named director in June 2026, heads the department and is also the Fire Marshal. The State Fire Marshal’s table lists Tullahoma as exempt from the state residential program because the City enforces its own codes.

Tullahoma lies in both Coffee and Franklin counties. Land outside the city limits falls to the county: Coffee County runs its own building permit program, while the State Fire Marshal lists Franklin County as having opted out of the state residential program.

Tullahoma applications and forms

Applications go in through the Citizen Portal, by email to permits@tullahomatn.gov or in person at the Annex Building. Once an application is approved, staff email the permit fee and payment options, so include an email address. The City publishes separate packets and forms for:

• New Home Construction Permit Packet: the building application (class of work, heated square footage, estimated materials and labor cost, foundation type), a property owner authorization for agents or contractors, a sample site plan, a business licence acknowledgement, the homeowner-builder affidavit and the stormwater and driveway permit forms.
• New Commercial Construction Permit Packet, and a Third Party Plan Review Program document.
• Plumbing, mechanical, pool, sign, tower and use and occupancy permits, each on its own form.
• Homeowner-Builder Affidavit: an owner may take one homeowner permit every two years to build a single home for their own use, not for sale, lease or rent; anyone the owner hires for $25,000 or more of the work must be licensed.
• Business licence: contractors based outside the city may gross up to $99,999.99 a year in Tullahoma without a City business licence; businesses inside the city need one.

Building permit fees in Tullahoma

Fees are set in the City’s comprehensive schedule of fees (municipal code Title 20, Chapter 10). The building permit is priced on project value, and for new construction and additions the value comes from the latest quarterly ICC building valuation data.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits

• Plumbing and mechanical — issued by the City on their own application forms, $75 each.
• Electrical — Tullahoma is in the state electrical program. Buy the state permit online at core.tn.gov or from any state issuing agent, and call 615-741-7170 to schedule electrical inspections or ask about a permit.
• Utilities — Tullahoma Utilities Authority (931-455-4515) for utility availability, and Elk River Public Utility District (931-455-9311) for natural gas.
• Fire protection — fire sprinkler and hood suppression systems need a permit, and the department enforces the 2021 International Fire Code.

Documents and review times

A site plan drawing is required for every new home, addition, detached accessory building and pool. It must show the property lines, the actual setback distances from each new structure to existing structures and to the front, rear and side lines, the structure dimensions, the driveway location, street names, and any easements or drainage areas. Setbacks vary by zoning district.

Basic residential permits are processed in 3 to 5 business days once the complete application and documents are in; commercial review time depends on the project. Since January 1, 2024, plans must meet the 2018 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation and Property Maintenance Codes, with the 2021 International Fire Code.

Stormwater: the new home packet includes the small residential stormwater protection permit, which needs the short application form, the fee and a sketch of the house on the lot. Commercial sites need the long form, an erosion and sedimentation control plan, stormwater calculations and a bond, and sites disturbing more than 1 acre also need copies of the state Notice of Intent and SWPPP.

How to get a Tullahoma building permit

Tullahoma inspections and occupancy

The department’s building inspectors inspect residential and commercial construction on site, up to the certificate of occupancy. A repeat visit costs $25 per building or structure. Pools follow a separate Required Pool Inspections sheet.

Erosion controls must be installed before any land disturbance, maintained throughout the job, and kept in place until the yard is seeded and mulched or sodded, which must happen within 7 days of final grading; mud tracked into the street must be cleaned up daily.

The City does not issue a certificate of occupancy for a mobile or modular home. Those installations need a building permit for the footing or foundation inspection and any deck or porch, zoning approval, a setback site plan, a stormwater permit and, if there is no existing driveway, a culvert or driveway permit.

Local Tullahoma details

Driveways and culverts: Public Works (942 Maplewood Avenue, 931-454-1768) permits every new driveway connection, driveway tile and curb cut. The fee is due with the application, the owner stakes out the driveway, and Public Works sets the pipe size; driveways must sit 2 ft off the adjacent property line.

Land disturbance: Public Works also answers land disturbance permit questions (931-454-1768).

Fences: no permit is needed for a new or replacement fence, but the maximum height is 6 ft.

Tennessee statewide rules

Tennessee licenses contractors through the Board for Licensing Contractors for jobs of $25,000 or more; a Home Improvement licence applies below that only in the nine counties that opted in. Tennessee rules

Official Tullahoma permit resources

• Tennessee residential jurisdiction classification
• Tullahoma mobile home installation guidelines
• Tullahoma Permit Required Checklist
• Tullahoma Planning, Codes, and Life Safety
• Tullahoma permit information
• Tullahoma building permits, forms and applications
• Tullahoma new home construction permit packet
• Tullahoma Municipal Code (fee schedule in Title 20)
• Tullahoma Citizen Portal

Tullahoma building permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Tullahoma?

The City’s Department of Planning, Codes, and Life Safety, 321 North Collins Street (931-455-2282), for property inside the city limits in both Coffee and Franklin counties.

How much is a building permit in Tullahoma?

It is based on project value, from $30 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000, with lower rates per $1,000 on larger projects. Work valued at $500 or more also pays a plan review fee of half the permit fee.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed in Tullahoma?

Fences do not need a permit but may be no taller than 6 ft. A residential accessory building needs a permit when it is larger than 200 sq ft.

How long does a permit take?

Basic residential permits take 3 to 5 business days to process after a complete application; commercial review time varies.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Tullahoma?

Yes, with the Homeowner-Builder Affidavit: one homeowner permit every two years for a home the owner will use, not sell or rent.

Where do I get an electrical permit?

From the State of Tennessee, online at core.tn.gov or from an issuing agent; call 615-741-7170 for electrical inspections.

Simplify Tullahoma permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Tennessee. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Tullahoma permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.